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Influences of Independency in Milton's Early Life Peter A University of Richmond UR Scholarship Repository Master's Theses Student Research Spring 1964 Influences of independency in Milton's early life Peter A. Edmunds Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.richmond.edu/masters-theses Recommended Citation Edmunds, Peter A., "Influences of independency in Milton's early life" (1964). Master's Theses. Paper 216. This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Research at UR Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of UR Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ....,,,,.---~-' INFLUENCES OF lNDEP.ENDllJCY IN MILTON'S EARLY LIFE 11 For my own part, I adhere to the Holy Scriptures alone; I follow no other heresy or sect." (Introduction - Christian Doctrine) BY PEr.ER A. EDMUNDS, B.A. VJ~ . ·LIBRARY ; . NlVERSITY OF RICHMOND VIRGINIA A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND IN CANDDJACY FOR THE DEGREE OF . MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH FEBRUARY, 1964 ~i·· / .. ' ~ APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND THE GRADUATE SCHOOL BY ., ~ . •',. f:J Cl/Mt~r .DEAN OF THE G'tDUATE SCHOOL . I I / .. ,.1 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPrER -PAGE '• PREFACE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .iv I. MILTON'S JUVENILIA. • • • • • • • • • • • • .1 II. 11LYCIDAS 11 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .9 III. MILTON'S ANCESTRY • • • • • • • • • • • • • .18 J.V. THOMAS YOUNG. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • .31 v. sr. PAUL'S SCHOOL • • • • • • • • • • • •• • .50 VI. THE DIODATI INFLUENCE. • • • • • • • • • • • .71 SUM11ARY. • • • • • .. • • • • • • • • • • • • 92 APPENDIX A. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 99 • 100 APPENDIX B. -~ . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • BIBLIOGH.APHY • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 101 vrrA. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • lOB .. •' PREFACE This thesis is the tiret part or a larger study 'Which will develop the hypothesis that Milton throughout his writing career was an independent and individualist whose church was his own church, whose sect was his own sect, whose thinking,:t;while:1scholarJ.y, was not authoritarian. '• Masson, Gardiner, and all twentieth century students hold that Milton's religious and ecclesiastical beliefs were Anglican in his youth. Because of Milton's entrance into the church government controversy in 1641-1642 at the age of thirty-four, he has been labeled a Presbyterian. In 1644, when Milton was thirty-six years old, he published Areopagitica. It was this work according to Miltonic scholars that marked Milton as an independent. One major exception to the contentions of scholarship as swrmarized in the preceding paragraph is found in the writings of John Toland. Toland, one of the earlier deists, published a biography that was a preface to the first edition of Milton's prose in 1698. Influenced by his deistic views in matters of toleration, Toland had a rather low opinion of the Presbyteri- ans for their intolerance. His own opinion, he assumed, was similar to that held by Milton, for he states that Milton's denounciation of.Episcopacy \.. ' . 0 1 "was only a service to the Presbyterians by accident" .for Mi;ltoIH qi\l, ·not I ~ •• ~;.1·~ '',' t) ·-·,1.-14• "• ''l'.'Ji:j~'~ .. intend "by hmnbling the Hierarchy, to set the Consistorian Triburial in the room of it." Since most scholars accept Milton's Christian Doctrine as proof of his heterodox views, one method of substantiating the contention of the larger study is to show that there was no conflict between the religious _, v / .. •' and ecclesiastical views held by Milton in his youth and those views r:· ' ~ ~ held by- him when he wrote the Christian Doctrine. When Milton wrote the anti-Prelatica+ Tracts, he was not a member of the Presbyterian party as suggested by many scholars but a member of the Root an~ Branch Party which contained representatives or all groups, including Anglicans. Later, • when Milton was Latin Secretary or the Council of State, he :wrote a great deal of prose which was more than mere government propaganda. This prose was the result of Milton's personal views. Further evidence of Milton's personal expression is found in A Treatise of Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes (1659). In later life Milton wrote Paradise Lost (1674), Paradise Regained (1671), and Samson Agonistes (1671). I believe that these works were the personal expression of the author and reflected only "by accident" · .the tenets of the individual religious parties. Limitations in time and space have not allowed a complete develop- ment of this proposed study. The present study is devoted to a thorough examination of the childhood influences which affected John Milton in his formative years. The influences treated in thisEStudy are those associated with Milton's ancestry, those of Thomas Young, of Alexander Gill, and of the Diodati family. All these influences guided Milton to the position of heterodo:x;y fo\llld in the Christian Doctrine. This study- is negative in one respect. In a survey of Milton's juvenilia, it is pointed out here that no substantial proof can be offered to support the position that ¥dlton was more than a conforming Anglican in his youth. Itr thesis is that Milton did develop in his youth, mainly under the influence or Dr. Gill, a belief in his own reason as an arbitrator in / -_, theological disputes.· It is this characteristic advanced Protestant view that transcends church and king together with his plea for toleration and his attack on the clergy in "Lycidas" that place him µi this early period already somewhat in the tradition or deism suggested PY 'toland. When Thomas Paine, the revolutionary deist, wrote in The Age of Reason, "My mind. is m::r own church," he was stating a basic belief of Milton. Thomas Jefferson, another famous deist, eJ(pressed that same thought in a different manner in a letter to Ezra Sj;yles when he stated,, "I am a sect by myself, as far as I know." The purpose of this paper is to show how Milton's childhood in- fluences could have guided him to a philosophy of religion which would have made it possible for him to give utterance to the ~wo statements quoted in the preceding paragraph. ~ .-, ·, / '• •' CHAPl'ER I MILTON'S JUVENILIA No conclusive proof can be extracted in a §~y.-.'if\M:U.ton~s juvenilia that would suppctrt the statement that he was only a conform:lng orthodox Anglican. · In fact, there is nothing in his juvcnilia that di-. rectly' contradicts the heterodox beliefs that Milton sets forth in the Christian Doctrine. When one considers Milt•n'a active participation in the church government controversy, it is. surprising to discover practically no in- dication of interest in this matter in his earlier writ:ings.l :rn discussing Milton's later writings fro~ 1625-1626, Rose Macaulay states that "there is little personal expression in any of this Latin verse, except the rustication poem."2 One could expand this statement by saying that a review uf Milton's earlier works gives no indication of ,. acceptance or rejection to any religious party, nor any indication as to Milton's conception of what the proper church government sheuld be. The on• major exception te this is "Lycidas." · The peems selected for tthis discussion represent Milton 1 s reli- gious writings of this peried. If Milton were to show a preference for a religious party in this period, that preference would be noticeable in 1 Fer purposes of this study the period of Milton's juvenilia en~s with Epitaphiun Damonis. See James Holly Hanferd, "The Youth of Milton," in Studies din Shakespeare, Milton, and Denne (New York, 1935), p. 154. 2 Rose Macaulay-, Milton (New Yerk, 1935), p. 13. 2 .. •' one of the poems which will now be discussed. The first poem to be con­ , sidorod is "Ode on the Momin& 0£ Chriet 1 s Nativity. 11 11 0DE ON THE MORNING OF CHRIST'S NATIVITY" On or after Christmas Day in 1629 Milton wrote 11 0de on the Morning of Christ's Nativity." This ode has been described as perhaps the most. beautiful in the English language. More important to this paper is the title with its theological implications. The poet in the introduction to the "Hymn" represent" the ode as a gift to the "infant God" in commemor- ation of Christmas. Say, heavenly muse, shall not thy sjcred vein Afford a present to the Infant God? The "Hymn" describes the birth of t;hrist and its effect'on nature and the heathen gods. The Egyptian Oris is among those heathen gods not at e.i.'se. 4 He feels from Juda 1 s land The dreaded Infant's hand; The rays of Bethlehem blind his dusky eyne; · . Nor all the Gods be side · Longer dare abide; Not 'fyphon huge ending in snakey twine: Our Babe, to show his godhead true, Can in his swaddling hands control the damned crew.5 As to the actual theological statements .found in "Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity," we find the following: Wherein-the son of Heav 1ns etern.U King of wedded maid and virgin bom Our great Redemption. • • " 3 "Ode on the Morning of Christ's Nativity," Columbia Edition of the Works of John }Ii.lton (New Yerk, 1931-1938), vol. I, p. 1. (Hereafter C. E.) 4 David Masson, The Life of John Milton (New York, 1946), I, 228-229. 5 C. E., I, 10. I / - 3 ·~ _, That he our deadly forfeit should Release, and with his father work Us perpetual peace •••wherewith He want at Heav'ns high Council-Table~ to sit the midst of Trinal unity. The Babe lies yet in smiling infancy That on the bitter cross must redee~ Our loss; so both himself and us to glorify.7 We learn that Milton believed that Christ was of divine origin and was crucified for our redemption. Milton also believed that Christ continues to work for our Redemption.
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